USAID Partners with National Science Foundation to Advance Science Diplomacy in the Developing World

U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT. (PRNewsFoto/U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT)

WASHINGTON, July 1, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On July 7, the National Science Foundation (NSF) and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) will launch the Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER) initiative. This international, interagency alliance will address challenges that affect both the United States and the developing world by reinforcing existing relationships and creating new connections.

PEER unites NSF's competitively-awarded scientific investments in U.S. institutions with similarly awarded USAID funding. The combined resources will support international counterpart scientists in the developing world and build scientific and technical capacity.

Pilot projects in Tanzania, Bangladesh, Mali, Kenya, and Burkina Faso are exploring issues related to ecosystems, climate change, seismology, hydrology, and biodiversity. Michael Steckler from the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University and his international collaborator Syed Humayun Akhter from the Seismology & Geodesy Division of the Department of Geology at the University of Dhaka in Bangladesh will attend the July 7 launch ceremony.

Strong international science and engineering collaborations are critical to America's future. President Barack Obama's "New Beginning" initiative, announced during his historic speech at Cairo University in Egypt, has advanced the Administration's commitment to foreign policy, development and international science engagement.

To attend the launch of the PEER program or to request media interviews, please RSVP to Lisa-Joy Zgorski, lisajoy@nsf.gov or Drew Bailey, anbailey@usaid.gov. Please respond no later than Tuesday, July 6, to allow time for security arrangements to be finalized by arrival.